Rising Dragons Omnibus

There was something purely sensuous about the young woman that Thea would have considered blatant if it hadn’t been for how comfortably Aurin carried herself. Aurin’s brother, Aurik, had given a similar impression. His golden eyes had taken Thea in with an oddly penetrating intensity before he left to catch up with Dimitri. The juxtaposition of the two in that brief whirlwind of a moment had made Thea just a little dizzy, and the impression still lingered of being on the verge of the kind of experience so rare few people could claim it.

Twins, Thea kept repeating to herself, marveling at the serendipitous nature of this trip. Where the hell had Dimitri found these two? She was curious beyond reason to see the three of them together. She didn’t want to assume he was with them both, but somehow she absolutely wanted that to be the case. It would have been a kind of validation to learn he’d given in to a need so similar to her own. So much so that she didn’t even feel a scrap of envy that he had found something so amazing in her absence.

“I do know, very well. I practically lived with two of him.” She smiled conspiratorially. God, it was liberating to be able to share even that small detail about her relationship with Dimitri and Alex. One she had been compelled to keep secret while it had existed, but she threw caution to the wind and divulged that small detail to Aurin, believing—hoping—that her new friend already knew at least that much.

Aurin raised an eyebrow as she refilled Thea’s wine glass. She leaned her elbows on the counter. “Two Dimitris might be too many. Better to have to share him, I think. Or I might overdose.” She took a sip of her own wine. “But I would die happy.” She grinned, the bright glow of her smile infusing Thea with warmth.

Thea laughed in response. “They were never too much for me. He and his brother were different in just the right ways.” She speared a chunk of mango with a small fork and savored the slick, sweet juiciness while she pondered those particular differences in more detail than she had in ages. How she’d missed that part of their relationship sometimes above all else. She’d avoided sex at all costs since Dimitri had left, knowing in her heart that nothing could ever compare to the two brothers.

“You want to know what I like most?” Aurin asked, moving around the long, polished granite of the kitchen island. She stopped next to Thea and leaned casually against the counter. “It’s how slow he starts. Like he’s…hmm…savoring every moment. When we met it was like that. A touch…”

Thea sat still as Aurin ran a fingertip lightly along Thea’s jaw, across her lower lip, and back, following along the curved outline of her upper lip. The touch left Thea’s mouth tingling and she involuntarily licked her lips, tasting a remnant of the mango juice.

“Yes, he always did take his time,” Thea said, her words coming out as only a whisper. Her chest seemed too full of anticipation, her heart beating wildly. She swallowed hard, watching Aurin’s head tilt and the pretty blonde’s odd eyes drift lower.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been touched quite like he did. So slow. So perfect.”

Thea was enthralled by Aurin’s rapt expression, the way her gaze fixed on Thea’s chest. Thea didn’t look down, but her breathing quickened when she felt the gentle tug of Aurin’s fingertips at the top button of her dress. It must be the wine going to her head, a subtle euphoria that grew more pronounced with each second. It couldn’t be Aurin’s touch, though the light caress down the center of Thea’s sternum made her inhale sharply. More buttons popped open. The built-in support the dress provided disappeared, her heavy breasts released, their weight pushing the sides of her dress further apart.

She could almost see herself in Aurin’s eyes. Her pleased half-smile, the lovely tilt of her head, the gaze tracing over every inch of her skin reminded her of how her twins had looked at her.

With a small, delicate palm, Aurin cupped one of Thea’s breasts, the touch so gentle, deliberate, and so slow Thea almost believed she was dreaming.

“He touched me like this at first,” Aurin said, finally raising her gaze. Their eyes met at the same instant Aurin’s thumb brushed over Thea’s taut nipple. The startling rush of sensation made Thea gasp out loud.

Her gasp turned into a muffled moan against Aurin’s lips when she shifted closer and pressed her mouth against Thea’s. The sweet taste of mangoes hit Thea’s tongue, mingling with the fresh scent of citrus. Her mind reeled at the newness of Aurin’s touch. It had been so long since she’d been touched so intimately. Dimitri had been the last, so long ago, during an encounter she later wished she could forget. He hadn’t been his deliberate, gentle self. He’d been angry, hurt, and full of so much despair. They had hurt each other that night—both physically and emotionally.

Aurin’s touch reminded Thea what tenderness felt like, and how much she had missed it. The novelty of kissing another woman barely registered aside from a glimmer of curiosity that rose in Thea with each new caress of Aurin’s hands on her body.